


After All This Time

by magnusbicon



Series: Flufftober 2018 [8]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Flufftober, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 08:57:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16238339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnusbicon/pseuds/magnusbicon
Summary: “I want six dogs when I grow up.”“Why six?”“Because we’ll share them, duh. Three for you, three for me.”





	After All This Time

**Author's Note:**

> Day 8: Pets
> 
> (editing this and dropping in to clarify that the different sections represent them at different ages! in case that wasn’t clear)

The Bane household is quiet when Alec tips down onto the spare mattress beside Magnus’ bed, landing face first onto the pillow that his mother had placed there earlier in the evening. It is 11:45 pm- way past their bedtime- and they are finally ready to go to sleep. 

Maybe.

Magnus giggles at the sight of his friend, and Alec rolls over onto his back at the sound, smiling along with him. They’ve been best friends ever since they were 3 years old when they met on the preschool playground. Magnus had been scared and curled up in the corner by the rocking horse, and Alec had gone up to him and offered to be his friend. They’ve been inseparable ever since, which is probably why they’re allowed to have sleepovers on school nights. 

The sound of Magnus’ feet padding across the floor in his bright green socks hits his ears, and Alec looks up at the ceiling. 

“I want six dogs when I grow up,” he says as Magnus moves to turn off the light.

“Why six?” Magnus asks, flipping the lightswitch down and running across the floor. He hops over Alec and onto his bed, then rolls on his stomach so he can peer over the side. Alec tries to make out his face in the dark, but he can’t quite manage it, so he closes his eyes instead.

“Because we’ll share them, duh. Three for you, three for me.”

Magnus is silent for a moment, then makes a noise of approval. “And we’ll have a mansion with a really big yard so they can run around. They can even have their own rooms.”

Alec yawns, hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion, and he hears Magnus do the same. He tries to fight it and stay awake for just a few more minutes, but ends up falling asleep to the image of him and Magnus chasing their shared dogs around their shared house.

* * *

 

Alec watches the look of pure focus on Magnus’ face and tries desperately to hold back the smug grin that threatens to take over his own. They’ve only been playing for about 10 minutes, and he already has his best friend beat. He remembers the first time they played connect four, how Magnus had beat him within minutes, and how determined he had become to best him in every game since. 

Magnus hums, holding the chip over the top of the plastic grid, and is about to drop it into a slot when it finally clicks for him. His mouth falls open as his eyes sweep across Alec’s inevitable victory, and Alec bursts out laughing. Magnus throws the chip at him, bragging when it bounces off of his forehead, but that only makes Alec laugh harder. He slides out of his chair, clutching his stomach, and Magnus tackles him the rest of the way to the ground. They land in a tangled, hysterical mess, their shoulders shaking with laughter, and Alec almost doesn’t notice the solid weight of his best friend straddling his waist. 

 _Almost_. 

There has been a strange tension between them lately, a sort of heaviness to the air that prolongs silences and glances and touches, the kind of moments that make Alec’s heart feel like it’s going to pound out of his chest. He isn’t sure if it’s all in his head or if Magnus feels it too, but he kind of likes the rush, the adrenaline that speeds through his veins whenever they’re in close proximity. He’s loved being around Magnus ever since they were kids, but this is different.

This is  _better_. 

“You’re such an asshole,” Magnus complains, lightly smacking his chest. “I was supposed to win this time.” 

Alec raises an eyebrow. “Did you want me to let you win?”

Magnus narrows his eyes, and before Alec can stop him, he wiggles his fingers against Alec’s side. His peal of laughter fills the room, and he tries to wiggle out of Magnus’ hold, but his friend pins him down, smiling evilly, and then Alec really can’t breathe. 

Their bodies are lined up, their faces only inches apart, and all of the humor in the room seems to be sucked into some kind of invisible vacuum as their eyes meet. Alec stares up into the beautiful brown gaze he knows so well, desperation and want flooding his chest.

Magnus smiles, soft and wide and breathtaking, and murmurs, “Maybe we can both be winners this time.” 

He leans in.

* * *

 

“Magnus?” Alec calls out, peeking his head into the house. His boyfriend had sent him an extremely vague and somewhat concerning text earlier in the day while he was at work that contained an address and the words,  _Meet me here at 7:00_.  _Don’t knock, just come in_. So here he is, entering some random house that he has never been to before. 

 _The things he’ll do for this man_. 

“Up here!” Magnus calls out, his voice distant, and Alec finds the stairs to the second floor, his eyes roaming as he goes. The house is devoid of furniture, and his footsteps echo between the empty walls. 

“Why  _are_  we here, exactly?” Alec asks when he reaches the top of the steps, heading toward the one room that has a light on, and he freezes when he reaches the doorway. Magnus is standing across the room, right in front of glass doors that Alec assumes lead to a balcony, and in his hand is an open velvet box with a ring inside. 

“We’re here,” Magnus says, a nervous smile spreading across his face as he steps toward him, “because once upon a time we agreed to buy a mansion and six dogs; three for me, three for you.” 

This startles a laugh out of Alec, and he can feel a lump forming in his throat as he realizes what is happening. 

“I know this isn’t a mansion,” Magnus continues, “and that six dogs is a little much, but I took what was most important out of that idea- us, together- and bought this house.” 

Alec smiles and wraps his arms around Magnus’ waist when he’s close enough, burying his face into his neck as he says, “Yes.”

“You didn’t let me finish my romantic speech,” Magnus laughs, hugging him tighter. 

“You don’t have to.” Alec grins against his skin. “The answer is yes. It will always be yes.” 

They pull back a few moments later, and Magnus slides the ring onto Alec’s finger. Alec stares down at it, tears clouding his vision, and chokes out, “Can we at least have two dogs? One for you, one for me?”

“Alexander,” Magnus says, a beaming smile on his face, “I will fill this house to the brim with dogs as long as I have you to help me take care of them.” 

Alec kisses him, long and soft and full of every emotion he can’t voice.

“Four dogs, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna be super emo, listen to Mary's Song by Taylor Swift after you read this. :'•)


End file.
